WSJ: The United States considered the possibility of expelling Ovechkin in 2024
In 2024, the US administration considered the possibility of expelling Russian hockey players from the United States, including Alexander Ovechkin, in order to put pressure on the Kremlin on the issue of prisoner exchange, the Wall Street Journal writes.
“(National security adviser to the former US president Jake) Sullivan considered the possibility of expelling Russian hockey players from the United States, including Alexander Ovechkin… He abandoned this idea,” the publication says.
It is noted that before the prisoner exchange in 2024, the administration of former President Joe Biden was burdened with a dilemma on which exchange options and ways to pressure the Kremlin should be better considered.